Smoking Ordinance Takes Effect in City

A Cambridge ordinance banning smoking in public areas took effect yesterday and there were no complaints lodged against smokers violating the law, city officials said.

"We received a number of calls from businesses seeking help answering questions, but received no complaints of unwillingness to comply with the new laws," said Commissioner of Health and Hospitals Dr. Melvin H. Chalfen '50, who is responsible for enforcing the new ordinance, one of the strictest in the country.

City officials said that although Cambridge will investigate any complaint about violations of the law, enforcement will be left up to the owners of each building that falls under the ban.

At Harvard, which must ban smoking in lecture halls, House common rooms, libraries, hallways, other public areas, and private offices that share air vents, the ban was heralded with the posting of thousands of signs across campus. House dining halls will permit smoking only in designated areas, but five plan to enforce the ban completely. Dudley House, Eliot, Kirkland, North and Winthrop will not allow smoking.

City Councilor David Sullivan, a co-sponsor of the bill, said he feared Harvard had not completely prepared the University community for the ordinance by not issuing campus-wide rules for compliance.

"We gave them 90 days; it seems to have been enough for every other business in the city," he said.

Other city councilors expressed satisfaction with Harvard's reaction to the ban.

Mayor Walter Sullivan, who smokes and voted against the ordinance said, "Harvard is enforcing it really. They went overboard in my estimation."

Smoking members of the Cambridge City Council were grinning and bearing the new ordinance, although Councilor Alfred E. Vellucci said, "I know a lot of people who drink heavy whiskey and are destroying their livers, who want to tell other people not to smoke."

Cambridge yesterday formally instituted a mechanism to enforce the new law, officials said.

The Health Commissioner's office will investigate complaints, acting with the assistance of the police and the city manager, said Chalfen, adding that he expected few enforcement problems. "People have demonstrated that they want to work in compliance with the ordinance."

In answer to each complaint, he said his office will "bring the issue up with the responsible people at the particular business and if that does not work we will examine their policy and help them come to a resolution."

The commissioner's office will also "conduct systematic inspection of privatebusinesses to make sure they have adhered to thelaw," Chalfen said. The random checks will be madetwice a year, according to city officials.

At Harvard, administrators have left complianceup to individual departments on campus instead ofsetting University-wide rules.

Employees in academic departments contactedyesterday said they are not yet sure how toenforce the ordinance or who will be charged withthat duty, but they said that they anticipate fewproblems.

History department administrator Geri Malatestasaid that a regular meeting of departmentadministrators is scheduled to address the issueon Wednesday.

She said she was not yet sure which privateoffices in Robinson Hall would fall under thesmoking ban because their ventilation systemscirculate air into the rest of the building.

"I'm waiting to hear at this meeting how we'regoing to enforce it, [but] I don't see it as aserious problem. There aren't many people smokingin the building anyway," she said.

As various administrators develop plans to dealwith the smoking ban, the committee in charge ofoverseeing the University's compliance with thesmoking policy is likely to inspect how well thedepartments follow the law, said Jim Dezieck, theHarvard personnel department's director of healthand fitness. However, Dezieck said there is noprocedure now for such inspections, and that hedid not know what standards would be applied.

"If two departments have very differentpolicies, as long as they're in compliance withthe law, the University will not intervene to makethose policies the same," he said.

"Essentially, we're trying to handle it the waywe would handle any complaint," Dezieck said.

"I don't expect this to become a policematter," said Vice President for AdministrationRobert H. Scott. "It's not that the police aren'tgoing to enforce it; it's that it'll be carriedout by administrators," he said.

Harvard police officials have said they willnot be responsible for enforcing the new law.CrimsonGeorge H. OrtizCambridge's smoking ordinance took effectyesterday and this type of behavior is now legallybanned in all public places. No complaints weremade against those violating the law.